Sulfonamide resistance genes and their use.

摘要

Plant cells are transformed by: (i) transforming a plant cell whose growth is sensitive to inhibition by a sulfonamide or a salt thereof with a chimaeric gene comprising (a) a plant promoter, (b) a sulfonamide resistance gene having a sequence encoding a transit peptide fused to the 5 min -end of the resistance gene and (c) a plant polyadenylation/terminator sequence; (ii) selecting a transformed plant cell whose growth is resistant to inhibition by a sulfonamide or salt thereof; (iii) optionally, regenerating from the transformed plant cell a genetically transformed plant which exhibit the said resistance; (iv) optionally, obtaining seed from the regenerated plant; and (v) optionally, propagating plants from the seed. The growth of weeds can be controlled at a locus where a transgenic plant obtained as above is being cultivated by applying to the locus an effective amount of a herbicide, such as asulam, which acts by inhibiting dihydropteroate synthase. The sulfonamide resistance gene can be also used as a selectable marker. The sequence of a Sulfonamide resistance gene is presented.